


it's always raining when i'm with you

by bongjaehyunz



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-23 08:25:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13783608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bongjaehyunz/pseuds/bongjaehyunz
Summary: "I'll love you forever""There's no such thing as forever love. It's what the mortals use to play with each other's feelings.""I'll prove to you, that it does exist."





	1. the first storm

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys will like this! Continue to support our Golden Child! :)

The sound of his book falling to the ground woke Sungyoon up from a deep slumber. He looked around him as he rubbed his eye, the library was also empty, all except for that one man that sat in the same position since the last time Sungyoon paid attention to him. 

 

The thunder roared ferociously, warning those who were out to start moving indoors, it looked like this storm wasn’t about to pass soon. Sungyoon sighed and placed his books back into his bag. He made his way to the exit but stopped short before, “Ah I totally forgot about the book I came here to borrow.” Sungyoon didn’t know what had gotten into him these days, he seemed to be growing more and more forgetful, often misplacing things and missing out on deadlines. He scanned through the shelves for the book he was looking for, eyes moving even faster than his mind could process. "Ah it's so high up though..." He muttered under his breath as he turned to look for a ladder. Sungyoon hated the fact that he wasn't as tall as he'd wanted to be, many things came to an inconvenience whenever his height was concerned. He wasn’t the shortest, but still, he wasn’t satisfied. Speaking about satisfaction, Sungyoon wasn’t satisfied with a lot of things, mostly things about himself. He wished he was taller, he wished he was smarter, he wished he could find the cure for cancer, he wished he could help achieve world peace, and most importantly, he wished he was immortal. 

 

“Hey, could you help me get that?” Sungyoon waved his hands in front of the stranger that was leaning against the shelf right next to him. He was tall and lengthy, easily towering over Sungyoon. “I’d really appreciate it, you can see that I’m not really… tall.” Sungyoon cleared his throat as his voice slowly died off, sensing that the stranger wasn’t really interested anyways. The stranger looked unbothered, as he easily reached over to retrieve the book Sungyoon wanted. Without making eye contact, he stuffed the book into Sungyoon’s hands and went back to his. “Thank you?” Sungyoon’s eyes darted away from the stranger as he gave him a quick bow and scurried away. Before Sungyoon left, he managed to catch a glimpse of the book in the stranger’s hands, “‘The Science Behind Immortality”? Interesting…”

 

After he left the library, Sungyoon opened the book and was surprised when he went through the list of previous borrowers. Since the book was brought in to the school’s library, it had only been borrowed by one ‘Lee Daeyeol’. What piqued Sungyoon’s curiosity, was that the same person borrowed the book for a total of 7 times, “There’s actually someone out there more interested in ‘Immortality & The Life After Death’ than me, huh?” While walking along the corridor, towards the school’s gate, two students, who were drenched from head to toe passed by. “It’s raining? It’s been a few months since it last rained. Today must be a special day.” Shrugging, Sungyoon continued on his way out of school. 

 

The rain kept pouring down, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. “Really of all days, it had to be today?” Sungyoon cussed under his breath and checked his watch. “You can have this.” He was forced to take a step back when an umbrella was shoved towards him, mere millimetres away from his face. “You can take this.” The same stranger he met at the library offered. Sungyoon raised his eyebrow, people at this school usually weren’t that nice, except for his group of friends, that is. “This looks huge enough for both of us, we could go together?” Sungyoon accepted the umbrella into his own hands, opened it and raised it above both their heads. He wasn’t sure if the stranger was a little slow, or he just wasn’t going to react to Sungyoon’s suggestion. In a rush for time, Sungyoon took matters into his own hands. He hooked his arm through the stranger’s and pulled him along, dashing through the rain that came pouring down mercilessly.

 

“I just need to get to the bus stop opposite, I’ll return the umbrella to you then.” Till now, Sungyoon has never heard the stranger even mutter a single word, it was just Sungyoon managing the conversation all by himself. Once they reached the bus stop, Sungyoon dusted the water droplets off from his uniform, he retracted the umbrella and wrapped it up, handing it back to the stranger with both hands. “Thank you. Do you go this school too?” Sungyoon was curious, he hasn’t seen this stranger around in school. The guy looked at Sungyoon straight in the eye and nodded, “I’m a lecturer here.” 

 

Sungyoon smirked, “Ah so, you can speak too! I thought you had some difficulty communicating.” The stranger pressed his lips into a thin line, Sungyoon thought he might have offended the stranger in one way or another, but was cut off before he could even start apologising. “I just chose not to talk. Anyways, the bus is here.” The stranger took a few steps forward and boarded the bus as soon as the doors opened. “How did you know I was taking this bus too?” Sungyoon asked while scrambling behind him, trying to avoid the rain drops as much as he could. 

 

The stranger sighed as he took the seat nearer to the window, “There’s only one bus that comes here.” Sungyoon wanted to bury himself beneath the ground, for saying something so stupid to someone he met just 10 minutes ago. “Oh…right…” Scanning the bus for seats, Sungyoon had no choice but to settle himself down on the only empty seat next to the stranger. 

 

-

 

Daeyeol regretted his decision, he regretted offering the boy his umbrella, he regretted coming along with the boy to the bus stop, and he regretting boarding the same bus as the boy. The boy just couldn’t stop talking. Throughout the whole bus ride, he went on and on about how he thought ‘immortality’ and the ‘life’ after death was ‘cool’. Daeyeol would have disagreed, but he stopped himself short, knowing that it would lead to a more in depth discussion with the boy, and it was surely something he did not want. He thought the boy was ignorant, a fool, if Daeyeol were to be blunt. Only humans would think that ‘immortality’ is a gift. It really wasn’t, to Daeyeol at least. Seeing your loved ones come in to your life, only to leave when their time is up, while you’re still living in this world, alone, was actually one of the most cruel things Daeyeol thought God could have done to him. It was more like a curse. 

 

Daeyeol listened to every word the boy said, and through it, he could catch a few things about the boy himself, and how he was like as a person. Naive? Daeyeol couldn’t say so. The boy was practical, he knew how people were like, he knew the challenges he had to face in the future, he knew of many things that Daeyeol didn’t think boys of his age should know about. But the boy’s thoughts on immortality really made Daeyeol wonder if the boy had a dual personality. Knowing how the real world out there is like, Daeyeol couldn’t possibly imagine why that boy would want to be ‘gifted’ with the ‘powers’ of immortality. 

 

“I hope I’ll see you around in school, sir.” The boy pressed the bell and turned to smile at Daeyeol, “I’m Choi Sungyoon, I hope we’ll get a chance to talk again. It’s been nice talking to you, although I did most of the talking. Actually no I did-” Daeyeol cleared his throat, cutting the boy off before he started rambling again, “If you don’t alight now, the bus will be moving off already. And you can call me Daeyeol, that’s how all my students address me.” 

 

Sungyoon’s cheeks turned a little crimson, embarrassed that he was rambling again, “See you again, Daeyeol!” He took a quick bow and hopped off the bus. 

 

Daeyeol shook his head, not really sure if he was looking forward to meeting Sungyoon again. But Daeyeol did find him a little special, he was really opinionated, not like the other 18 year olds Daeyeol had met before. He felt so strongly about the things he loved, Daeyeol was surprised, at how his heart felt so warm after hearing the boy speak with so much passion, even thought Daeyeol didn’t agree with most of the things he said. “Maybe we will meet again, Choi Sungyoon.” Daeyeol took out his phone and started searching for ways to head back home from wherever he was. 


	2. a light shower

Sungyoon threw his pillow against his bedroom window, hoping to frighten away the birds that began chirping even before the sun rose that morning. He groaned and turned to lie on his tummy, he loved sleeping in, but his daily battles were always lost to the birds out there. Reluctantly, he dragged his body out of bed and put on a fresh new set of clothes before he headed to the washroom to get ready for the day. Sungyoon took his time to admire his reflection in the mirror, at least God did bless him with those stunning visuals. Making his way down the stairs, his mother gave him a smile that instantly warmed his heart. “Good morning, Mum.” His mother nodded and gestured for him to get seated for breakfast. “Your brother had a long night, let him sleep in a little longer.”

Sungyoon raised his eyebrow, “Jibeomie? What has he been up to these days? Is it that Jaehyun guy again?” His Mother placed two slices of toast in front of Sungyoon, “Stop talking about the boy like this, he’s really nice, and he treats your brother really well too. Just let the youngsters be.” Sungyoon rolled his eyes as he dug in, crumbs falling onto the marbled table-top, “Youngsters? Mum he’s 16 this year, he should be studying and not dating!” His mother ruffled his hair, to which he expressed his annoyance with the cluck of his tongue, “Fine fine, you’ve always been so protective of him. He’s not your baby brother anymore, it’s time to let him find his own ground. But let’s talk about you, when are you bringing a boyfriend back to meet us?” Sungyoon choked back a cough as he placed his slice of toast back down onto the plate, “What boyfriend?”

His mother shook her head and chuckled, “Your father and I have always known, but of course, we’re not limiting your choices, bring home a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, it’s up to you. But please do it soon, your father and I can’t wait!” Sungyoon groaned and covered his face, “Mom, I’m 18 not 80!” She continued laughing heartily, leaving Sungyoon with no choice but to join her. Sungyoon thought about the lecturer he met the other day, he hesitated before starting, “Mom... I met this guy the other day. It wasn’t anything special, but I can’t seem to shake off this... weird feeling about him. It’s really weird now that I think about it. It’s like I only met him for awhile and all but I felt so comfortable talking to him?” His mother frowned, which was a rare sight even for Sungyoon, “He really must mean something to you, considering the fact that you’re rambling so much, and I’m sure you’ve noticed that you only go on and on about the things you’re interested in. Tell me more about this man.” She propped her elbows on the dining table, as if getting herself ready for a story time session.

Sungyoon had never been more grateful for his brother, than in the moment he descended from the staircase, saving Sungyoon from an interrogation session. It wasn’t that Sungyoon was guilty of anything, but that he really wasn’t sure of what he was feeling himself. “Hyung, you’re up early on a weekend.” Jibeom rubbed his eye, yawning occasionally as he took his time to make his way to the dining table. Sungyoon pursed his lips, “It’s not even early anymore, baby bro. Get your ass over here, we need to talk. So what have you been up to? Is it the Jaehyun guy again?” Jibeom glared at his brother as he pulled out a seat for himself, “He’s not just any guy, he’s my boyfriend now, just so you know. He’ll be your brother-in-law in the future! Treat him nicely or you’ll suffer!” Sungyoon’s jaw dropped at the new information, “Your what? Kim Jibeom, you’re just 16! You’re supposed to be studying!”

Jibeom rolled his eyes and dug into his food, “Shut up, hyung. You’re the ancient and out-dated one. You’re so old, when are you bring your boyfriend home?” Jibeom ducked in time to avoid Sungyoon’s smack on his head. “This is not a competition!” Jibeom scoffed, “You’re only saying that because nobody wants to date you. I bet you haven’t had a date in your entire life. Oh wait okay maybe except Jaeseok hyung.” Sungyoon wanted to take back his thoughts on thanking Jibeom, at this moment he really wanted to put the guy on mute, “Jaeseok was just a crush alright. Get over your conceited ass, I don’t know what Jaehyun sees in you anyways. It’s not a competition but you know I can’t lose. I’ll get a boyfriend too, you just wait.” Their mother chuckled, “The both of you, just eat and get going.”

-

“Sungyoon, bring along an umbrella.” His mother hollered at Sungyoon who was already at the door. Sungyoon looked up at the sky, it was a beautiful day and he doubted it would rain. “It’s alright mom, see you tonight!” Sungyoon locked the door behind him and made his way to the bus stop.

Going to the library at the outskirts of his neighbourhood has become a tradition for Sungyoon. The journey there was a short one, but Sungyoon loved bus rides more than anything, so he was contented whenever he could get one. He loved looking at the pedestrians walking along the streets, the couples in love, people walking their pets and families enjoying their morning walk. Sungyoon chuckled at the little girl who dropped her ice cream onto the pavement, he hoped that someone would get her another one. Looking at these little human interactions made him curious about what came after life, what would happen to these people after they die, would they be missed? Sungyoon hoped that when it was his turn, people would miss his presence and still talk about him in the future that’s to come.

Sungyoon got off the bus and was faced with the building he loved dearly. He loved reading, and especially if they were books on the topics he were interested in. He went straight to his favourite section a picked a book at random. ‘The Science Behind Immortality’, it looked familiar, Sungyoon thought as he flipped it opened. “It’s a good book.” He looked up and was surprised to meet a familiar face, “Oh, hi... you live nearby?” Daeyeol shook his head and grabbed a book off the shelf, “No, I live quite far away actually. I don’t know why but I feel drawn towards here these past weeks.” He looked at Sungyoon who was settled snugly on the only chair that was available, and hesitated before he joined him. He looked a little uncomfortable on the floor, crossing his long legs and leaning against one of the book shelves, Sungyoon giggled, “You don’t have to sit with me, you know.” Daeyeol stared at him, “I’m only here because you’re in my spot.”

Sungyoon was a little taken aback by his straightforwardness, heat crept up his cheeks, “O-Oh... alright then... what book are you reading?” He tried to start another conversation to save himself from the embarrassment. Daeyeol just lifted the book to show him the title, without saying a word. “You really are a man of few words huh?” Sungyoon gave him a small smile. The two of them spent the entire afternoon in the library, and although Daeyeol rarely replied to Sungyoon’s hundred and one questions, his presence itself was comforting enough.

-

“Shall we leave?” Daeyeol closed his book and looked up at Sungyoon, who was already fast asleep. The corner of his lips turned up against his own will, “He looks cute.” Daeyeol surprised himself, unable to believe that he actually said that out loud. He stood up and inches towards Sungyoon. Daeyeol gently patted his shoulder, attempting to wake him up, but to no avail. Daeyeol stretched his hand out in reflex, to catch Sungyoon’s head as he tilted into the side while asleep. Daeyeol’s heart was thumping so loudly, he tried to shut it out but the sound only rang louder in his ears. He steadied himself before he tried again, “Sungyoon? Sungyoon? It’s time to wake up.” He patted Sungyoon’s shoulder lightly and cooed in the softest voice he could produce, surprising even himself.

Sungyoon stirred awake and rubbed his eye, he used his sleeve to wipe away the drool, in case there was any. “Oh... I fell asleep. I’m sorry.” Daeyeol shook his head and quickly retracted his outstretched arm, “N-Not at all. It’s fine. Let’s go now.” Sungyoon glanced at his watch and tried to count the number of hours he seemed to have slept away.

The pair stood at the entrance of the library, Daeyeol stretching his hand outwards, catching the rain drops that were only growing bigger. “I didn’t think it’d rain today.” Sungyoon looked up at the sky, the clear and bright one was replaced by a dark and gloomy one. Daeyeol took out the familiar umbrella from his backpack, the one they shared when they first met. “The last time we met it was raining too, huh?” Sungyoon said, without knowing why he did.

“Let’s go?” This time, Daeyeol offered his arm to Sungyoon. He cursed himself in his mind, not knowing why he’s acting this way whenever he’s around Sungyoon. This is only the second time they’ve met but Daeyeol seemed to already be doing countless of things that his mind didn’t want to be accountable for, things that his heart seemed to be doing on his behalf. Sungyoon stared at the taller man, before he hooked his arm through Daeyeol’s.

Sungyoon smiled to himself, he wishes it’ll rain every single day from now on.

 


	3. the occasional drizzle

Sungyoon only gave Daeyeol a slight nod of acknowledgement whenever they passed each other in the hallway. Daeyeol had expected more, honestly, but he was glad that Sungyoon was acting sensible enough. A scandal between a professor and student was not something they would want. But of course, as of now, they couldn’t say that what they had between them was strong enough to call it a ‘scandal’.

Daeyeol brought Sungyoon lunch on some days, he loved seeing the boy eat till his heart’s content, it made Daeyeol full even on an empty stomach. Sungyoon loved the food Daeyeol prepared for him, with a different meal every day, the overflowing sincerity really touched him. Sungyoon and Daeyeol grew closer over their lunchtime bondings, with Sungyoon secretly loving the thrill of their secret shenanigans. He wouldn’t call it love, but there was definitely something there.

“How was your paper today?” Daeyeol asked as he flipped open his lunch box to reveal nicely packed rice balls, each hand-shaped differently. "It was alright, I'll probably get good grades because the professor really likes me." Sungyoon's voice was a little muffled as he stuffed his face with the rice balls. The older man raised his eyebrow, curious, and a little annoyed, "You sure attract a lot of attention from the teaching staff."

Sungyoon almost spit out his food, startled, did Daeyeol mean that he was attracted too? "N-Not too many...A couple..." He wasn't sure what to reply, surely he didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he couldn't help but hope. "Count me in." This time, bits of rice was sent flying as Sungyoon choked back a cough, "What?" He clarified, to make sure he didn't hear Daeyeol wrongly. "You attract my attention too. You must've realised that."

-

“Come watch my basketball match in the afternoon?” Daeyeol received the message from Sungyoon as soon as they parted ways, making Daeyeol wonder why Sungyoon couldn’t just ask him earlier on. “If time allows.” Daeyeol typed back, fingers moving in a rthymic manner.

He looked out of his window, small droplets of rain lined the windowsill.

-

The rain had stopped when Daeyeol peeked his head out from the door of his office. Students covered the entire corridor, all moving towards the indoor basketball court. He hesistated, was it really worth it to watch Sungyoon play, and leave his stack of essays for later?

Definitely, Daeyeol thought as he took a bold step out of his office and filtered his way through the crowd. He picked a seat in the corner of the stands, the least prominent one of all. Still, the students that knew him caught themselves up in the gossip, Professor Lee, at a basketball game? This is new. Known to be uninteresting, a ‘lame’ professor who knows no joy, seeing Daeyeol at the school’s game really came as a surprise to many.

Sungyoon squinted as he scanned through the crowd, he had hoped that Daeyeol would come, although his reply seemed a little cold. His eyes moved faster than his mind, a smile slowly forming on his face as he saw the familiar figure seated in a corner. Sungyoon gave him the brightest smile, his bunny teeth instantly melting Daeyeol’s heart, despite all his efforts to keep a strong front.

Sungyoon gave him two thumbs up, as a ‘Thank You’, for Daeyeol who sacrificed his afternoon for him. Daeyeol returned his gesture with a nod, and a small smile that meant the world to Sungyoon.

-

The last thing Sungyoon heard was the sound of the whistle, before he felt his legs give way and his body collapsing onto the ground.

His head was spinning, and the only thing he remembers before blacking out, was Daeyeol’s face hovering over his, a face filled with anxiety and worry. Sungyoon wanted to assure him that he was fine, but whenever he tried to speak, his voice only seemed to die off.

Daeyeol picked him up, resting Sungyoon’s head against his chest as he carried him out of the indoor court. All eyes were on them, their gazes followed the pair all the way until they were out of sight. Daeyeol’s heart raced, blood was still trickling down Sungyoon’s nose, and it drove him crazy to see the boy bleed so much. He cursed and swore at the ball that caused this, and also blamed himself a little. After all, it was because Sungyoon was looking at him, which caused his attention to stray away from the game and failure to dodge the incoming ball that hit Sungyoon right in the face.

As Daeyeol walked on the unsheltered pathway, he bent a little forward, using his head to shield away the tiny raindrops from landing on Sungyoon’s pretty face.

“It always seems to be raining when I’m with you.” Sungyoon whispered, words still a little slurred. “I hope it rains every day.” And he blacked out again.

-

Daeyeol hovered his hand over Sungyoon’s face, concentrating all his energy towards a single focal point. He healed himself that way, those powers came along with being ‘blessed’ with the longevity of immortality. Daeyeol quickly grew frustrated, as blood continued trickling down Sungyoon’s nostrils, seemingly with no intention to stop. Why wasn’t the boy in front of him healing, like he did? From time to time, Daeyeol panicked as Sungyoon winced, he prayed it didn’t hurt the young boy too much.

The school nurse was confused when Daeyeol told her to leave the healing to him, but it seemed that he really needed some mortal help at this point. The nurse dismissed Daeyeol, telling him to stand at the side and not obstruct her way as she moved around the ward. “This doesn’t seem like a nosebleed, why isn’t it stopping? Is he hurt? Is he going to... die?” The color drained from Daeyeol’s face as the last word came out as a whisper.

Daeyeol wasn’t afraid of death himself, he welcomed it, not in a beautiful way, but he really wished his time on earth would end soon. What purpose does he have, if he had to see his loved ones come and go as he remained in this ugly world? His family had left him ages ago, his occasional flings didn’t last long enough for him to feel sad about their deaths, the impact of loss itself was already numb to Daeyeol.

“I think he probably just has a concussion, that’s why he’s unconscious. The nose bleed is due to a tear in the tissue resulting from the impact of the basketball, nothing to worry about. He’ll heal.” The nurse said, unbothered. She removed the blood-stained gauzes from Sungyoon’s nose, and replaced them with fresh ones. Daeyeol’s hands trembled as he saw the bright red liquid stain the white cloth, he hasn’t seen blood in a long time.

“Why isn’t he healing now?” The nurse just stared at Daeyeol as though he was mad, but gave no further comment. In her defence, he did look a little like a mad-man. Dishreveled hair, untucked shirt, blood-stained sleeves, this was the most unkempt Daeyeol has ever been in a long while. He took a step forward, towards Sungyoon, his own shaking hands reaching towards Sungyoon’s cold ones. “Please be well.” He whispered, hoping Sungyoon could hear him over the light drizzle outside that soon turned into a thunderous downpour.


	4. the constant downpour

Daeyeol made sure to check on Sungyoon every day after that incident, making sure that Sungyoon was recovering well, and that he had everything he needed. 'Everything' included a shoulder to lie on whenever he felt sleepy in the afternoons spent at the library and a distraction whenever Sungyoon's head started hurting after hitting the books for too long.

The more time Daeyeol spent with Sungyoon, the more he realised he cared for the younger boy in ways he shouldn't. More than wanting Sungyoon to be happy, Daeyeol wanted to be the reason he was. It was a pity he never knew when would be the right time to finally confess, and did Sungyoon like him back? He, too, was skeptical.

-

It took Daeyeol five days, from when he had planned to do so, to succeed.

On Monday, it was raining. Daeyeol had called Sungyoon into his office, he wanted a quiet environment, one that no one would turn up unannounced at. It surely was inappropriate, in a school that stood against everything Daeyeol was about to do. As Sungyoon turned up, wide-eyed with a bright smile, Daeyeol just stared at him and dismissed him before he even had a chance to take a seat. Daeyeol put a hand against his chest, his heart beating furiously, even more so than when he first met Sungyoon. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought.

On Tuesday, the smell of the fresh earth which was dampened by the rain lingered in the hallways. Daeyeol paced around in his office, occasionally glancing at his watch. A knock on the door sent him falling back onto the couch, as he held his breath and froze. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead as he thought of what's to come. Maybe not today, he told himself, as he pretended that he wasn't in.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Daeyeol backed out the same way he did the past two days. He readied himself for the moment, but whenever it came, he turned around and retreated. Daeyeol sighed as he laid in bed that night, wondering why it was so hard to simply take the step forward. He likes Sungyoon, he knew that himself, and on several occasions, he made sure Sungyoon knew too. So why was saying it out loud so hard?

Probably because he knows that once he had it out on the open, there was no taking those words back. To Daeyeol, Sungyoon was living on numbered days, just like everyone else. Did he really want to go through the heartbreak of losing a loved one all over again? He knew that once he took a step forward, there's no turning back, and that was what scared him the most.

-

Sungyoon was more than annoyed, he had sneaked out of the lecture theater earlier upon Daeyeol's request to meet him, only to be dismissed by the latter even before he could make himself comfortable in his office. He sulked all the way home, mind clouded with thoughts and guesses on what Daeyeol had originally planned to tell him. Before opening the door, Sungyoon stretched his hand out, "I didn't realise... it stopped raining huh?" Daeyeol's face immediately surfaced in his mind, "Must be because he's not here..."

Sungyoon clucked his tongue as he knocked for the fifth time on the door to Daeyeol's office. He must be in, since he told Sungyoon to meet him there in 5 minutes. Sungyoon stared at the silhouette through the blinds, a figure sprawled on the couch beside the desk. He knew Daeyeol was in, but it seemed to him that Daeyeol had changed his mind about meeting him. I'm not one to be pushy, he'll speak up when he's ready, Sungyoon convinced himself as he took a deep breath and turned the other way.

"What kind of sick joke is he planning?" Sungyoon cussed under his breath as the call went to voicemail again, he hasn't met Daeyeol since last week, and it has been 4 days since Daeyeol had first planned to meet him. Most part of Sungyoon was more worried than angry, he had hoped and prayed that Daeyeol wasn't in trouble, and told himself that he'd probably forgive Daeyeol for all the trouble the latter put him in in the past few days, as long as Daeyeol was all well.

-

On Friday, the thunder roared as the downpour created massive puddles by the school gate, a couple of students standing under the shelters, waiting for the clear skies to emerge again. Sungyoon checked his phone nervously as the time he was supposed to meet Daeyeol pulled nearer. The rain didn't seem like it had any intentions on stopping as the time ticked by, a minute, two minutes, five minutes. Daeyeol was still nowhere to be found, even fifteen minutes later.

Sungyoon sighed, he's had enough. If it was so hard for Daeyeol to just simply tell him something on his mind, then maybe it's better off untold. Sungyoon reached into his bag and chided himself in his mind, he should've listened to his mother when she told him to bring an umbrella this morning. Sungyoon jogged on the spot for a few seconds before he made a dash for it, sheltering his eyes from the rain with his hands.

"Choi Sungyoon!"

Sungyoon almost tripped as he came to a sudden halt, recognising the voice that shouted his name. His uniform stuck against his skin as he stood under the rain, the cold droplets that ran down the side of his face to his neck sent shivers down his spine. He contemplated whether or not he should turn around, after all he was mad at Daeyeol, or at least he’s trying to be. He didn’t want to seem to come off as easy to Daeyeol, he had to stand up for himself.

“I’m strong, I’m independent, I depend on no one.” Sungyoon whispered to himself as his body turned around against his will. “Lee Daeyeol!” He shouted back and immediately regretted for making it sound like a scene straight out from a sappy romance drama. Daeyeol’s figure grew larger as he ran towards Sungyoon with an umbrella. “You’ll catch a cold. Why do you never bring an umbrella along with you?” Daeyeol chided in a low voice as Sungyoon looked at him straight in the eye.

Daeyeol could usually read Sungyoon like an open book, but in that moment he seemed to be missing out on the words hidden behind Sungyoon’s strong gaze. Sungyoon seemed angry, Daeyeol had guessed, maybe because he didn’t bring his umbrella and has to drench himself under the rain. “You care?” Sungyoon’s fixed his gaze upon Daeyeol’s honey brown eyes, almost drowning himself in them.

Daeyeol was offended, to say the least, how could Sungyoon not know he did? He thought that on multiple occasions, he already made it very clear that he cared for Sungyoon in special ways. “Of course I do. Why would you ask that?” Sungyoon pressed his lips in a thin line, grateful for the rain that drowned the sound of his furiously beating heart. “You didn’t seem to care when you left me standing outside your office for a whole hour like an idiot, when I could see you right through the blinds. You didn’t seem to care when you basically played me for the entire week.”

“You’re always so prim and proper, always going by the book and following the rules. I wonder what excuses you could possibly have, for not keeping to your promises, Mr Lee.” Sungyoon spat the last words like they were poison on his tongue. Through the weeks he spent with Daeyeol, he knew how the latter was a sucker for everything that was set in order. He wanted to know what was so hard to say that Daeyeol would ruin his plans himself.

“I don’t always follow the rules. I’m not always good.” Daeyeol look down, a little annoyed that they had to be speaking in the rain, his favourite pair of shoes were soaked and his toes were cold. “Yeah right, says the guy who puts his books back in the exact location he found them, the guy who would release his students right on the dot, not a second earlier, not a second later. I have a whole list of things that proves my point, do you need me to continue?” Sungyoon spoke a little louder to beat the sound of the pouring rain.

Daeyeol bit his lower lip, something Sungyoon had never seen him do. It made the latter feel a little bad, after all he had no right to yell at the taller guy. Sungyoon thought that he probably came off as rude and sensitive, maybe it hadn’t meant that much to Daeyeol. “I’m sorry.” Daeyeol whispered, but it was loud enough for Sungyoon to hear, despite the thunderous roars in the clouds. He’d noticed a few of the students staring at them weirdly, probably wondering why they couldn’t just have their confrontation in the sheltered areas. “I’m sorry I seem so stuck up all the time, I’ll change.”

Sungyoon sighed, admitting defeat, how could he blame Daeyeol when he looked at Sungyoon with those large sad puppy eyes. “Just tell me what you wanted to say...” Sungyoon tried with a small smile. Daeyeol raised his eyes to meet Sungyoon’s, seemingly trying to search for an answer in them. The seconds passed by, as they stood in silence under the pouring rain. “I-I’m not sure if I can say it now...”

Sungyoon’s face fell, “Great. Then you don’t have to, ever.” He turned to go but a firm grasp on his hand held him back. Daeyeol pulled the shorter boy in, causing Sungyoon to stumble backwards, right into Daeyeol’s arms. The rain drops found their way onto Sungyoon’s face again as the umbrella Daeyeol held fell to the ground with a tudd. “I’m sorry. I can’t say those words now... I’m afraid I might hurt you, and that’s the last thing I want to do because I care about you so much. All you need to know now is how much I care. Give me some time for the rest?” Daeyeol rests his chin on Sungyoon’s shoulder as he whispered into his ear.

His tightened his arms around Sungyoon, as if afraid he would just slip right out if Daeyeol didn’t hold on tight enough. He could feel the stares on his back, but he thought that those were a problem for later. He took in a deep breath, his nose seemed to have filtered out all the scents except for Sungyoon’s musky one.

-

Their fingers brushed past one another as the bus moved along its journey. Sungyoon surpressed the burning urge to hold on to Daeyeol’s cold ones. His hands were always cold, Sungyoon noticed. They were silent throughout the whole bus ride back to Sungyoon’s home.

Daeyeol got off the bus together with Sungyoon, “Take care of yourself, don’t catch a cold. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He ruffled the younger boy’s hair, much to his annoyance. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to your stupid plan.” Sungyoon narrowed his eyes, “Don’t make me wait too long, I’ll run off with another guy.” Daeyeol smirked, overflowing with confidence, “We all know you only have eyes for me.”

The corners of Sungyoon’s lips turned up into a smile, he liked it that they were openly flirting now. His heart raced at the thought of it, things were definitely getting more interesting now.


End file.
